Norwegian stocks finished the session higher on Wednesday as sector gains in Healthcare Equipment & Services, Pharma Biotech & Life Sciences and Utilities pushed the market upward.
At the close in Oslo the Oslo OBX rose 2.19%, marking a new all-time high for the benchmark.
The day's top movers on the Oslo OBX included Frontline Ltd (OL:FRO), which climbed 7.12% - gaining 20.80 points to finish at 313.10. Kongsberg Gruppen ASA (OL:KOG) added 5.39% or 20.30 points to close at 396.65, while Nordic Semiconductor ASA (OL:NOD) rose 5.18% - up 7.10 points to 144.20 in late trade.
On the downside, Orkla ASA (OL:ORK) slipped 2.77% or 3.60 points to end the session at 126.20. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (OL:NAS) decreased 1.02% or 0.18 points to 17.44 and Telenor ASA (OL:TEL) was down 0.28% or 0.50 points to finish at 175.80.
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Oslo Stock Exchange by 180 to 84, with 19 shares unchanged at the close.
Notable price milestones were recorded during the session: shares of Frontline Ltd rose to 5-year highs as they moved 7.12% higher to 313.10, and shares of Kongsberg Gruppen ASA reached all-time highs after their 5.39% advance to 396.65.
Commodity markets were broadly stronger. Crude oil for April delivery rose 3.08% or $1.92 to $64.18 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery increased 2.97% or $2.00 to $69.42 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract advanced 2.24% or 109.86 to trade at $5,015.76 a troy ounce.
In currencies, the euro fell against the Norwegian krone with EUR/NOK down 0.45% to 11.22, while USD/NOK declined 0.17% to 9.49. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.29% at 97.35.
Market breadth and the session’s notable movers underline a broadly positive day for Norwegian equities, with particular strength in healthcare-related sectors and utilities. Energy and precious metals moves coincided with gains in oil and gold prices, while the krone appreciated modestly against the euro and the dollar.